Maria d'Aragona

Maria d'Aragona (1503–1568; born in d'Avalos Castello in Ischia) was the daughter of Duke Ferdinando di Montalto and Catalina Cardona and the granddaughter of King Ferdinand I of Naples, also called King Ferrante. As a child, Maria d’Aragona grew up in a castle with the poet Vittoria Colonna, who had married d'Avalo's nephew. It was here that Maria met Sannazaro, Tansillo, and Bernardo Tasso who would entertain her in later life at her own salons in Naples, Milan, and Pavia.